We have an Immediate Need for a HVAC Service Technician and we are using all of our social media efforts to get the word out!  After such a long period of making cuts in this tough economy, it is exciting to be hiring again.  You can find much more information about the open position at this link: We’re Hiring!  http://ow.ly/3TDA2

If you know someone who might be a good fit for this job, please pass the above link along to them.  Hopefully, this is the first of many more job offerings to come.  How are things in your business?  Do you see any expansion coming?  Share an signs of an economic recovery with us!

Doesn’t everyone want to save money?  I’ve noticed there seems to be more people using coupons and taking advantage of special offers now that ever before.  I’m sure it’s partly due to the economy.

While I don’t have a coupon or special promotion to tell you about, I can tell you how you likely can save money on HVAC and/or Plumbing repairs on your office or other commercial facility.  Preventative maintenance is the key.  Have you had your equipment inspected recently?  You know when something goes wrong with your mechanical systems, you not only face the cost of the repair, but you also have down time, possible facility damage, unhappy customers and employees and lots of frustration to deal with.  Preventative maintenance can help you to avoid those problems.

Our staff can inspect the HVAC and plumbing systems in your entire facility and give you are report on the condition of each part.  Then you can make an informed decision on any needed repairs and will know what to expect in future repairs for your systems.  Give us a call today to schedule an inspection!

So it’s a new year and a time that a lot of folks make plans, set goals and look to the future. This year it is a little more fun to make those plans as the future looks a little brighter than the last couple of years. Planning for a brighter future is always more enjoyable than looking for cost cuts and pulling back.

But it is also tough in this economy to make specific plans and know what result you will get. Those variables such as gas prices, a possible double dip recession, etc. Are still out there and could wreck the best of plans. Still a lot positive factors are showing up that make us more hopeful about the months ahead.

So we plan with hope in our heart and an eye on the economy. And we hope to do our part to help the economy recover.

How are you planning for 2011? Share your thoughts. We would love to hear them.

There’s not a lot of differences between one company and another any more. In most cases it comes down to service. Of course in a service business, service is what it’s all about. But I’m sure you have had experiences like me where good service is not a given.

We are very aware that the quality of our service will in large part determine the level of our success. As a result, we constantly train and remind our staff and employees of the importance of outstanding customer service. And it’s not just about making more money… It’s about doing the right thing, about taking care of those who chose to trust us with their project and it’s about making our customers happy! Then the money will take care of itself.

We really care about our customers and the things they care about. We take the time to listen so that we can learn more about your needs, problems and desires. Then we can work a solution to help solve your problem.

What customer service experiences have you had lately? What do you do in your business to improve customer service? We would love to hear from you.

2010 certainly has been an interesting year. We’ve had to make a lot oif adjustments this year, primarily due to the down economy, especially in the construction industry. Like most other companies, we had our ups and downs. We lost a valuable and loved employee when Bruce Arnold lost his life in a motorcycle accident. Times like those are when you really appreciate what it means to be part of the “Interstate family”.

With the down economy new construction suffered but building owners started making repairs and looking for ways to maintain equipment while looking for cost savings. With a complete, experienced service department in place we were able to step in and offer the services necessary to maintain existing equipment. We recently updated our computer system to allow us to provide our customers with even better service. We believe the investment in this system will yield benefits for several years down the road.

Now we are looking for a better year in 2011! There are many signs pointing to an improving economy, our new operating systems are in place and we still have an outstanding staff.

We are ready for the New Year! How about you? How do you 2011 in your business? Share your thoughts, we would love to know?

In almost every facility unpleasant odors can be an undesirable and unavoidable occurance.  In many cases, the fight against these odors is taken up with the spraying of air fresheners in hopes of masking the odor.  I remember a few years ago when the “orange” smelling odor fighting formulas came on the market.  The custodian at our church discovered a bottle and it quickly became his “tool of choice” in the fight against odors.  Only problem was that he used it every Sunday morning and quantities that had to be much bigger than the manufacturer recommended.  Before long, you dreaded walking down that hall because you knew what you were going to smell as well as knowing what the original odor was that he was trying to cover.  Yuck!

Well there are options that don’t smell “Orange”.  Here’s the text from a recent blog post about an environmentally friendly (and nose friendly) option.

PureAire Brings Outdoor Freshness to the Indoors

While I haven’t used this product myself, it does sound like an interesting solution to an undesirable problem.  What’s your thoughts?  Have you ever used this product or one like it?

IMC has added Water Conservation Audits to our menu of services to reduce facility operating costs for our clients.  Low-flow standards for new construction will take effect in 2012; however, many existing buildings can realize substantial savings on potable water, sewer and energy costs with water-saving retrofits.  A facility audit, complete with ROI figures, can be providing following a survey.

Who can realize the biggest savings?  The hospitality industry, healthcare, and multi-tenant commercial and residential properties.  However, smaller facilities can also reduce operating costs while helping relieve the stress on our water supply and create a more sustainable business model.  Saving money AND helping the environment is a win-win for us all!

Give IMC a call today to see how you can start saving money by reducing the amount of water used at your facility.

If your business is like ours, the slow economy has caused a lot of changes to take place… many of them undesirable.  For example, it is no fun at all to have to do lay-off off employees and the construction industry seems to have had our share.  You always hope that the economy will turn around and you can call them back before long.  So far that hasn’t happened.

You have to do a lot of other cost saving measures as well.  Some of those cuts should have been done long ago when the industry was rocking along.  We have been looking at every line of our expenses over the past few months to determine what costs could be lowered or even cut out totally.  In the process, we have found some ways that we can improve our processes and thereby cut costs while delivering better service to our customers.

One move we have made recently is implementing new management software for our service department.  We have been going through extensive training and are really excited about seeing the software in action.  We believe it will allow us to give the best commercial HVAC and plumbing service available in this area!

Want to know more about the changes we have been making in our service department?  Give us a call or visit our website at www.interstatemechanical.com.  How about your business?  What changes have you made to cut costs?  We’d love to hear your thoughts.

The old saying: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” really is true when considering the HVAC systems in your building.  Your 2010/2011 budget may be tighter than ever, but dollars spent on planned Preventative Maintenance for HVAC will continue generate dividends for years to come.

When the economy is down, we all have a tendency to cut back or even cut out expenses that are absolutely necessary today.  That’s why we cut marketing and sales expenses in the hopes of catching up when we see the economy improving.  Even though many companies try that strategy, we all know it’s not necessarily the best strategy. 

Putting off maintenance on HVAC may not be the best strategy either.  A simple maintenance job today may turn into an expensive equipment replacement job soon.  One of the best strategies today may be to have your HVAC systems inspected and assess where to be spend preventative maintenance dollars.  Even if your organization can’ t address every maintenance issue, an inspection might point out the areas where there would most risk and/or cost. 

Our staff is focused on meeting your needs for the long term.  We realize that sometimes the needs don’t fit the budget and decisions about what to repair have to be made.  We are happy to provide the information you need to make an informed decision about what best fits your equipment, your budget and your needs.  Call us today to make us part of your team!

It was exciting to see the announcement on July 27 that Bull Run Metal Fabricators and Engineers, Inc. in Clinton has purchased the former Modine Mfg. plant for an expansion.  The purchase will grow their manufacturing space from 45,000 SF to 192,000 SF and add 40 jobs to the 66 already employed.

It’s especially nice to see a local company – Bull Run was founded in 1987 in Anderson Co. – capture a chunk of local business with DOE and affiliated subcontractors.  Bull Run manufactures special containers that hold low and intermediate level nuclear waste.  Their website, www.bullrun-metal.com , details their lean manufacturing processes that save money and have cut their lead times to less than half of the industry average for these products.

Congratulations to Bull Run on the expansion.  Kudos also to Anderson County for continuing to support expansion of its industrial base.  

Does anyone know the latest on when Confluence Solar will be breaking ground in Clinton?